Historical Versus Philosophical Context: Understanding Ancient Philosophy in Its Contexts
Year: 2025
Type: article
Abstract: Through an examination of Eduard Zeller's and Michael Frede's historiographical approaches, I question the assumption that by placing philosophy in its historical context we can avoid anachronism. I argue that an exegetical approach that studies texts and places the discussions found therein in their philosophical contexts can minimize anachronism and offer a historically sensitive understanding. I clarify this claim through three case studies: the relation between John Philoponus' philosophy and theology, Aristotle's account of relatives, and Alexander of Aphrodisias' notion of mixture. In so doing, I distinguish contextualization that facilitates judgment from contextualization that facilitates understanding and show how the latter furthers our understanding of philosophical views in different ways.
Source: Revue de Synthèse
Author: Orna Harari
Institution: Tel Aviv University
Language: English
Subfield: Philosophy
Field: Arts and Humanities
Domain: Social Sciences
Open Access status: hybrid
OpenAlex ID: W4409240316